Lateral

Lateral may refer to:

• Lateral (anatomy), an anatomical direction
• Lateral canal, a canal built beside another stream
• Lateral consonant, an ℓ-like consonant in which air flows along the sides of the tongue
• Lateral hiring, recruiting that targets employees of another organization
• Lateral mark, a sea mark used in maritime pilotage to indicate the edge of a channel
• Lateral pass, a type of pass in American and Canadian football
• Lateral release, a surgical procedure on the side of a kneecap
• Lateral release (phonetics), the release of a plosive consonant into a lateral consonant
• Lateral stability of aircraft during flight
• Lateral support, a type of physical support to help prevent sideways movement
• Lateral thinking, the solution of problems through an indirect and creative approach